Notre Dame Football: 3 Players to Watch on the South Florida Defense
By Andrew Hall
The Notre Dame football team returns to the field on Saturday against the South Florida Bulls in the house that Rockne built.
For the majority of contest, the Irish offense struggled to maintain sustained drives against the Duke Blue Devils. Notre Dame needed a fake punt to energize the offense and propel them to their first score. Ultimately, they finished with 441 total yards but only mustered 27 points. For fans (and probably coaches), this performance disappointed considering the tremendous amount of experience on the Offensive Line and at Quarterback. The inconsistency was blamed on the lack of a veteran presence at the Wide Receiver position. Sophomore Running Back Kyren Williams was the lone bright spot for the Fighting Irish.
The offense should get an opportunity to gain confidence against the South Florida Bulls. The Bulls, who won their opening game against the Citadel, finished 4-8 last season. Athlon predicted that South Florida would finish 10th out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference. Considering the American is a Group of Five conference, South Florida probably represents Notre Dame’s least talented opponent in 2020.
Last year, the South Florida Defense yielded 28.9 points per game. Against teams ranked inside the AP Top 25, the Bulls surrendered 37.4 points per contest. In their 2020 opener, South Florida only gave up 6 points but against an FCS program, Citadel. The Bulls and first year Head Coach Jeff Scott still have something to prove.
When Notre Dame takes the field on Saturday, here are three South Florida defenders to keep an eye on when the Irish are on Offense.